Best Binoculars?

[Thealo]

What are the very best binoculars for hunting? I can spend most of the day glassing — that’s how I spot and shoot most of my deer.
What do you use, and how do they compare to others?
I currently have Vortex Viper HD 10x42, which are decent, and an older pair of Steiner 8x30 (paid about $225 for them 25 years ago) that are still fair to decent.
I’ve been thinking about upgrading this year but don’t really want to spend $3K. I’ve also been browsing options on https://binoculars-telescopes.com/
and trying to narrow things down.
Any real-world recommendations would be appreciated.

[G-forceJunkie]

Go to bird watching forums for bino info, they take their glass very serious.

[Mtndewking]

Zeiss Conquest HD 10x42 is what I have. Highly recommend. Swarovski is also great but pricey

[GunDog]

Swarovski for crystal clear glass. Bought my binos 20 some years ago. Sure, they were expensive then, but I'm glad to have purchased them. Buy once, cry once!

[Alan Block]

I have 2 pair. Pentax 8x 42 very wide (the 3d just pops!) and Zeiss Ikon 7x50 from ww2 German Navy. Individual focus rings make it water-resistant.

[SDBlaster]

I just got the sig Zulu 12x image stabilized binos and they are insane ! Image stabilization is a game changer

[AreWeNotMen?]

Go to bird watching forums for bino info, they take their glass very serious.

This is no joke - they make gun nuts seem normal!

Also, look at Cornell University - their ornithology dept did a very comprehensive review/testing some years ago; may have updated such by now,

[Chancey]

Swaro NL Pure 10x42, end of story.

[yoteassasin]

Swaro NL Pure 10x42, end of story.

Rich guy .. lol
I run 8.5x42 el and my kid had tha audacity to ask when he can get swaros for chrismass ... bit the bullet and buy the swaros. If you are worth your salt you spend 100x more time behind glass than your rifle .. it's worth it

[Fjold]

I run the Leica Geovid 3200. It's the 10X with the built in laser rangefinder.

[Chancey]

Rich guy .. lol
I run 8.5x42 el and my kid had tha audacity to ask when he can get swaros for chrismass ... bit the bullet and buy the swaros. If you are worth your salt you spend 100x more time behind glass than your rifle .. it's worth it

I used lots of lower quality glass over the years. Finally saved up and made the investment. The difference is crazy compared to what I used before these.

[duckman1]

I broke down 2 years ago and bought the Swaro's with the laser range finder.

[sonofeugene]

Swarovski and Zeiss make excellent glass but I think they are over priced for what you get. Pentax and Leupold are just as good but at a more reasonable price. I use Leupold. They have the best focusing/locking mechanism.

[yoteassasin]

I used lots of lower quality glass over the years. Finally saved up and made the investment. The difference is crazy compared to what I used before these.

Yes the swarovision is real . It's amazing the stuff I can pick out in grey light or in cover than my buddies with mavens or razors and high brand Leopolds don't have a chance at seeing . I was scanning a hillside of oak scrub with a buddy and I picked out a bedded 4x5 @ 900yds . I told him there is a buck right there and he tried to focus with his binos . I guided him in to the exact bush . He argued with me about there not being a deer there . And hi simply clipped off my binos and handed them to him . He exclaimed " yup that's a buck !" Then picked up his binos and switched back and forth a few times. He put a great stalk on the buck and killed him at 250 . He bought swaros on our way home in Utah

[hermosabeach]

I have an old pair of Nikon that are great and light for out in the field. I was watching a stalk from the vehicle, and I picked up a pair of Swarovski fixed 10X

with my pair I could see the critter and the grass. With the Swarovski you could see each blade of grass.


Marvelous glass but more quality than you need to spot critters.


I also have gotten older and eyesight is not the same as when I was 20-30....


For hunting, lightweight that you can bring with you is more important than the last bit of clarity.


Spotting a target at 1K, yes- you need that clarity for a 20-30 caliber hole in paper...

So you need rugged - but price point just ads versatility.

Weight limits a lot for hunting.

if starting from a car, I have seen the window mounts for spotting scopes/